If I Lose You
by SexciiLexi
Summary: Arthur & Ariadne live together in New York, where she's a sucessful architect and he is the now the world's best Extractor.Everything changes when Arthur becomes stuck in limbo in one of the most complex dreams imaginable: Ariadne's. HIATUS
1. Chapter 1 : Perfect

**Full Summary : All it took was that one kiss. Now, Arthur and Ariadne are together and live in New York. Ariadne is a hugely successful architect and Arthur is now the best Extractor who performs less risky extractions and the rare inception for high-paying clients.**

**They both plan to move to California and start a family but everything changes when Arthur becomes stuck in limbo in one of the most complex dreams imaginable: Ariadne's.**

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><p>Chapter 1 : Perfect<p>

**"The best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment, when you are between asleep and awake, when you don't know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel with your entire soul that the dream is reality, and it really happened."**

**~Anonymous~  
><strong>

Ariadne's POV

"Arthur! Come here for one second and give me your opinion!" I called to my boyfriend from the living room.

"How many times am I going to tell you that when I'm cooking I have to be in the kitchen all the time or it'll burn?" Arthur replied, shaking his head.

He wasn't mad however, because I could see the smile playing on his beautiful lips.

"This has to be perfect," I said. I was sketching a skyscraper for my latest project.

A business firm was opening not too far from our apartment right in the heart of New York. I was a well-known architect around New York these days and I was happy with it. I got to work right from home most days.

I had quit being Cobb's architect after the Fischer job because I needed to be normal and I wasn't much of a thrill-seeker.

Cobb was fine with it. He was taking an indefinite leave from extraction to spend time with his kids Phillipa and James. He agreed with my decision to stop mostly because he felt the same fear I did. We had been stuck in limbo during the Fischer job.

Of course, we had gotten out, but we understood the risk of it. Dom and I had this special bond where we understood each other better than anyone else. It wasn't romantic on either part, but it was nice and sometimes a little infuriating to have someone who knew you better than you did.

Arthur however, was now the world's best extractor. Cobb's mentored him from time to time and on the rare occasion, I'd design something for him.

At the present, his team consisted of Eames, Yusuf and the new architect: Leo.

Arthur performs less risky extractionsand the rare inception. I worry about him when he does any of these things. I'm afraid to lose him.

He leaned over the back of the couch and peered down at my sketch pad.

"You hate it," I stated.

"No, I'm just trying to figure it out," he said.

I bit the end of my pencil nervously.

"It's perfect," he assured me. "Just like you."

Arthur kissed my forehead gently and returned to the kitchen, humming a familiar tune.

As I sit there and criticise my work, I remember something.

_*Flashback*_

_"I love you Ari," Arhtur says to me._

_We're laying in bed together and I stroke his hair as he presses his cheek against my bare stomach._

_"I love your belly and I hope one day you'll let me give you a baby to keep in there," he says and kisses it._

_I laugh at his words and continue stroking his hair._

_"I'll think about it," I tease him._

_"I love your breasts," he says and moves up slightly to nuzzle my chest._

_Now I'm laughing outright._

_"That's such a typical man thing to say," I tell him._

_He smiles in response and kisses his way up to my neck._

_I close my eyes and relish the feel of his lips on my skin. _

_Before I know it, his lips are on mine._

_"And, I absolutely love your lips. Your lips that respond to mine and tell me you love me every single day," he says and kisses me once more._

_"I love you, Arthur." I say when we break apart._

_"I love you too, Ari. You're perfect."_

_*End Flashback*_

I finish up my sketch and put it on the dining room table with the rest of my things. I can't even see the surface anymore. Arthur and I eat in the living room all the time anyway.

I love our apartment. It spacious but cozy and it's pretty luxurious without being over the top.

Arthur and I bought it a month ago after deciding to move to New York so I could further my architect career and he'd have more extraction jobs.

I head into the kitchen and watch Arthur stir a pot filled with sauce.

"Italian?" I ask.

"Yup. I made lasagne, garlic bread, pasta, sauce and for dessert, I made something special," he said.

"What's that?" I ask, curious.

"Crostata," he replied.

I wrinkled my face and he laughed.

"It's basically Italian pie. I assure you, you'll love it," he said.

"Whatever you say," I tease.

Arthur is an amzing cook. I don't know what I'd do without him. I know the crostata will taste good if he's cooking it.

"Here taste this," he says and feeds me a spoon of the sauce.

"Mmm. It's great," I said grabbing the spoon and licking off the rest.

He laughed and I handed the spoon back.

"Gross, there's no way I'm putting that back in _my_ pot," Arthur said, faking disgust.

I slap him lightly and he laughs and grabs another spoon from the drawer.

"Grab the wine and meet me in the living room," he says and kisses me.

"You taste great," he comments.

I roll my eyes and grab a bottle of white wine and two glasses and head back to the living room.

* * *

><p>"I'm stuffed," I say to Arthur.<p>

We're laying on the couch together and he's running his fingers along my arm.

It's comforting and it always puts me to slep. Especially after a long day of sketching.

"I wouldn't have guessed, considering you ate the entire pot of sauce," he says.

I look up at him and stick my tongue out.

"It's your own fault for cooking so well," I reply. "If Eames knew about your cooking skill, I doubt he'd let you live it down. But continue making food like that and your secret will be safe with me."

Arthur laughs and kisses me.

"Can we have a lazy day tomorrow?" I ask him.

A lazy day is kind of like a day off for me and Arthur. We stay in our apartment the entire day and do whatever we want. We take bubble baths together, have pillowfights, talk about the weather, play chess with quarters or just have sex all day. It all depends on whatever we want to do. It's been a while since we had one and since my project was now completed and Arthur was free this week, I thought it'd be agood idea.

"Tomorrow sounds perfect, love," he replies and kisses me again.

"I'll never get tired of your lips," I tell him.

"I hope not," he jokes.

I snuggle closer to him and close my eyes as he continues to stroke my arm. I feel tired and happy. Ready to embrace my dreams.

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think so far! Please review!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2 : Nightmares

**Hey guys!**

**Just a quick update. There's a tiny lemon in here, so just a fair warning. Nothing trashy though (:**

**P.S - Thanks for the reviews! ^_^**

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><p>Chapter 2 : Nightmares<p>

**I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?**

**~John Lennon~**

Ariadne's POV

I was walking down the hallway of the apartment. I could smell Arthur's cooking and I walked towards it like a moth to a flame.

It was pretty late and I was hungry. A midnight snack seemed good.

His back is turned and he is focused on the pot.

"Arthur," I say.

He stops and doesn't move for a few seconds and then he turns around and I scream.

His entire face... is gone.

"Ari!" someone shouts. I am too busy screaming and thrashing to care. I can feel its arms trying to restrain me.

"No! Let me go!" I scream harder. My heart is threatening to beat right out of my chest and adrenaline is rushing through my body.

"It's me Ariadne! It's me! It's just a bad dream!"

I can hear him now. Arthur's voice. _My_ Arthur.

I reach for him in the darkness and he is there. He holds me tight and whispers soothing words to me. A few tears escape from my eyes. The dream felt so real to me.

"I'm here, Ari. It was just a nightmare," he promises me.

I stay quiet and grip him tighter.

Having Arthur with me is a blessing at the moment. If I were alone, all the lights would be on, the television would be turned on to the late news and I'd be blaring music. I don't like being alone _all the time_. Especially when I'm afraid.

There's just something comforting about another person no matter how scary the situation is.

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><p>When I wake up, the bed is empty and it is morning. I roll around in bed for a little while before getting up. I brushed my teeth, showered and brushed my hair into a loose bun.<p>

I put on one of Arthur's old t-shirts and a pair of shorts.

I look in the mirror and inspect myself. I always do after I have a nightmare.

The Fischer job has altered my perception of dreams and I look to see if they change me somehow.

I look the same as always: dark-brown hair, hazel eyes and a heart-shaped face. Same old Ariadne.

When I enter the living room, Arthur is on the couch, reading the newspaper and sipping coffee.

"Morning love," he says, looking away from the paper.

"Morning," I smile weakly.

I'm slightly embarrassed by my pyschotic breakdown last night after my nightmare.

"Have I ever told you how sexy you look in my clothes?" he asked, giving me an approving look.

I blushed and looked away.

Arthur and I had been intimate many times but it still made me self-conscious whenever he called me sexy. I'd never imagined myself as the _'sexy'_ type.

"Come here," he beckoned to me, and put the paper aside.

I went to him and he pulled me onto his lap.

"You are beautiful, Ariadne. Sexy is a weak substitute for what I see when I look at you," he said, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Thanks," I mumble, but I can't help the smile that creeps up on my face from his compliment.

"One day you'll see what I see, and I'll have to lock you away from the world so that you don't leave me for some other guy," he said.

"I'll never leave you," I say automatically.

"Never?" he asks.

"Never," I repeated.

He kissed me and I responded happily.

"Your breakfast is waiting for you in the kitchen and when you're finished, we can start our lazy day," Arthur whispers to me against my lips.

I kiss him again before getting up.

As I am heading down the hallway to the kitchen, I recall my nightmare and I shiver.

* * *

><p>"I finished the sketches last night and I'll bring them over tomorrow morning. I think he'll be really pleased with it," I said into my cellphone.<p>

I was speaking with the lawyer of the business firm owner. Apparently he preferred anonyminity at the moment.

"He'll meet with you tomorrow. To go over a few details at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel not too far from you, at eight. A banquet in honour of the firm's opening will be being held there and he'd like you to be the guest of honour," the lawyer said.

"Banquet? Guest of Honour?" I asked, confused.

"Yes. You're a key part to the opening of this firm miss Williams. A business firm without a firm, is hardly a business at all. It's useless. By the way, it's an extra-formal affair, so I do hope you'll arrive attired properly," he said.

"I'll try my best," I replied shortly.

"I look forward to seeing you," he said, politely before hanging up.

"Well that was weird," I muttered to myself.

Arthur was lounging on the window seat and looking outside the window. It was raining heavily and I was starting to feel the early September cold.

I resumed my seat in front of him and he wrapped his arms around me, as I pressed my forehead against the cool glass of the window.

We stayed silent for a very long time and I was fine with that. Sometimes it was really nice to let Arthur just hold me while I escaped into my thoughts.

I was brought back to reality however, when he kissed my neck gently.

"I want you, Ari," he whispered against my skin.

I felt goosebumps on my arm that had nothing to do with the weather.

I inhaled sharply as his kisses became more insistent and his hands travelled up my stomach towards my chest.

He nibbled on my earlobe gently for a split second before whispering to me: "Do you want me?"

"Yes," I answer honestly, and I can imagine his smile in response to my reply.

He lifts my- well his t-shirt, over my head and tosses it aside carelessly.

I'm not wearing a bra and he knows it.

"So beautiful," he whispers to me.

I finally turn to face him and I kiss him urgently. When we break apart, he lifts me into his arms and carries me to our bedroom.

"As light as a feather," he comments, as he puts me down in the middle of the bed. "Weird, considering you eat like it's nobody's business."

I giggled. "It _is_ nobody's business, and I do not eat that much!"

"Whatever you say," he replies and kisses me.

We kiss some more and our hands are everywhere. I can't get enough of Arthur and it seems he can't get enough of me.

We're naked now, our bodies pressed together as Arthur thrusts into me.

The rain, the apartment, even the bed we are on seem to vanish away as I lose myself in this.

"Arthur," I sighed and arched into him.

He thrusts faster and harder and I cling to him, wanting more.

"Oh God!" I cry as my toes curl under and I feel this swirling feeling behind my belly button as my orgasm rips through me.

Arthur throws his head back and thrusts deeply one last time before he lets go completely.

He kisses me deeply before rolling off to lie beside me.

"I love you, Ariadne," he whispers to me and holds my hand.

"I love you too," I say, while he kisses my fingers.

I move closer to him and lay my head on his chest as he strokes my arm gently. It makes me drowsy almost instantly.

"I've wanted to tell you something," he says to me.

"Mmm, what's that?" I ask.

"I've been hired to do an extraction. My biggest one yet and also my last," he replies.

I'm fully awake now, and alert at this alarming news.

Arthur's job is pretty tricky. It's illegal and there's way too many risks, even with the law out of the picture.

"I haven't met the man yet and I don't know who I'm performing the extraction on," he said.

"So you're entering into a highly dangerous situation blindly then?" I say, with a bit of an edge to my voice.

Our hands are separated now, and I'm glaring at Arthur.

"I'm doing this for you, Ariadne! For us! He is offering me fifty million dollars to do this! Do you know how much money that is?"

"Money isn't everything," I say.

"But it's enough to take care of you for the rest of your life, Ari! I want us to buy that house on the beach in California and start our family. I'll be able to do that and so much more if I do this," he argues, gently.

"No amount of money on Earth is worth the risk of losing you Arthur," I tell him, softer this time.

"And vice versa," he says.

"Then you'll not do this. Beacuse you love me and if I lose you Arthur, I don't know what I'd do. If anything happens and you become stuck in limbo, I'll never recover. You'll be alive but you'll be stuck in that place forever. How can I bear to know you're here but your mind is there? Or what if you come back with your memory gone? You know the risks of this!" I say, frustrated.

I'm fighting a losing battle. I can see his mind is already made up.

"Which is why I'll be extremely careful and I want you back as my architect. Dom is even flying in this afternoon. He's going to be a part of my team. He wants what's best for James and Phillipa. A secure financial system," Arthur says.

"When did you plan on telling me all this!" I flare up. "Dom will be here tomorrow!"

"I wanted to tell you as soon as I heard, but I knew how you'd react. The extraction isn't as simple as it usually is. I'm not extracting information. I'm extracting a memory," he confesses.

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><p><strong>Just a quick update! Hope you guys liked it!<strong>

**Next chapter you'll see a little more action. The mystery man will be revealed and it's kind of an interesting twist. I can reveal however that the chapter may take a little time cause it's going to be extra-long for you guys! (:**


	3. Chapter 3 : Lucky

Chapter 3 : Lucky

**"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."**

**~Dr. Seuss~**

**Ariadne's POV**

I was mad at Arthur.

Really mad. I wasn't speaking to him, because if I tried to, I was pretty sure I'd scream at him. Or maybe, breakdown and cling to his knees and beg him to not to do this.

But I wasn't some clingy little girl and if he didn't care about my feelings and wanted to go risk his life for a few million pieces of paper then I'd let him. Even if it was killing me inside.

I had accepted what was going to happen as graciously as I could.

I had even asked Dom to bring me one of Mal's old dresses for me to wear to the banquet tonight. He said it was fine as long as I watched Philippa and James while they did the extraction.

I loved Phillipa and James dearly, so it was no problem to me.

A couple months after the Fischer job, Dom had even made me Philippa's godmother.

Arthur was sleeping on the couch now, because of two reasons. I had kicked him out of my room and he was pissed at me.

So at the present, I was in bed by myself, wearing my pj's and watching The Fairly Oddparents while eating a bowl of Lucky Charms.

Halfway through my show, I could hear voices coming from the front so I put my bowl aside and unlocked the door. I was instantly crashed into by Philippa and James who gave me their best hugs.

I crouched down to hug them properly and gave them each a kiss.

"I missed my babies!" I said happily.

"Hello Ariadne," Dom said.

"Hey," I said looking down at my pajama pants and plain white T.

"I'll be right back guys. Aunt Ari just needs to change," I told Dom's kids.

"No!" they cried.

"We wanna watch tv too!" they wailed simultaneously.

I laughed.

"Just let me talk to daddy and get you guys some breakfast okay?"

They nodded, I handed them the remote and they hopped into my bed and snuggled up in my pillows beside each other.

"They look tired," I commented to Dom. Arthur was around the place no doubt. But I would not acknowledge him until he at least admitted this job was dangerous.

"They are. It was a six-hour flight. They'll be out in no time," he replied. "By the way, I like your pyjamas."

I laughed and hit him on the shoulder.

"I also noticed the makeshift bed on the couch out there. Trouble in paradise?" he asked.

I closed the bedroom door and lead him out into the hall.

"You two are crazy if you think this is safe. I've never even heard of extracting memories," I whispered to Dom.

"It's possible and we plan on doing it. And yes, we're aware of every risk," he said quickly.

"Then how can you do that to your kids? I'm not their mother Dominic. If something happens to them, I'll have to take them. Your dad is too old now. I have no idea how to take care of two children!" I told him.

"I'm not asking you, Ariadne. Everything will go as planned," he repeated.

"And if it doesn't?" I asked.

"We'll just have to wait and see," he said.

"I hate this!" I almost shouted, but remembered Philippa and James.

"So do I, but it's for the greater good," he said. "Now are you going to mother me or are you going to give me a hug? I haven't seen you in forever Ari."

I rolled my eyes but leaned in to give Dom a big hug.

Whenever he and Arthur teamed up, it made me want to tear my hair out but I loved them both to death. I just worried about them.

"I'm just going to unpack. You should talk to Arthur," Dom advised.

"Yeah, yeah," I said hurrying him along.

I sighed and headed into the living room. Arthur was laying on the couch watching ESPN. He didn't even blink when I entered the room.

"Arthur can you not see that this hurts me! That I love you and I can't lose you?" I asked, standing in front of the tv to block his view. It annoyed him whenever I did it, but I was too pissed to care.

"I don't want to do this right now," he says in that blank, non-comittal way of his.

I want to throw something, but instead I take a few deep breaths and kneel in front of him. I cup his face and close my eyes.

"Arthur. Please," I say.

I let out a sigh as he holds my hand gently and takes it away from his face.

"Ariadne. I have to do this," he says, bluntly.

I can't do this anymore.

"Arthur, if you do this. If you leave me today to agree to that extraction job. I'm leaving," I said, issuing an ultimatum.

Arthur does not reply and I close my eyes once more as the tears fall from my eyes.

"I understand," I tell him before I leave him alone.

* * *

><p>I had packed a light bag along with my dress and a few personal items and booked a suite at the Ritz-Carlton where the banquet was being held.<p>

My eyes were puffy and red from crying and my heart was hurting me. I missed Arthur, but I was too headstrong to go back and lie to myself.

Eventually, I wanderd downstairs to the hall they were using for the banquet with my sketchbook and watched as they set up.

I sketched the building, the people. My hand was hurting from all the drawing but I refused to stop. I needed to busy myself and the only escape from the pain was sketching.

"You're going to get blisters on those pretty hands," someone said.

I stopped after I realized the person was talking to me, and looked up.

A tall, imposing man in a suit was standing over me. I tried to get up and had to resign to getting help from the man who was wearing a business suit in the middle of the afternoon and wearing a smug smile.

He was incredibly handsome. Ice-blue eyes and dark, curly hair.

"Liam," he said and stretched out a hand.

I shook his hand and said: "Ariadne."

"What a beautiful name," he said.

"Thanks," I replied.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing all by yourself? You should be out lounging by the pool not sketching away like a mental patient," he said.

I wasn't entirely sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult.

"Um, I guess."

"You're sketches are quite amazing nonetheless. What brings you to the Ritz-Carlton?" he asked.

"I'm an architect. I'm designing the building for the person hosting this banquet," I said, finding it easier and easier to talk to Liam. He also seemed really familiar. But it was hazy.

"Interesting. I think he'll find your sketches quite nice," he smiled at her.

"I hope so. It's really important to me," I admitted.

"Well, I must be off. It was nice meeting you, Ariadne. You are truly beautiful and the idiot who made you cry doesn't deserve you," he said before walking away.

My head was suddenly reeling.

How could he possibly know I had just left Arthur. Was it my red eyes? My furious sketching?

Before I had time to ask him what he meant, he was already gone.

* * *

><p>I was getting ready for the banquet and I felt nervous. I needed to do this right.<p>

I was doing this job because of the pay. I had wanted to surprise Arthur. It would have been the rest of money we needed for our house in California.

Instead, here I was in an empty hotel room trying to look presentable.

After my weird altercation with Liam earlier, I had gone back to my hotel room, ordered room service (who knew what kind of fancy junk they'd have at the banquet) and cried into my pillow some more.

It was pathetic, but eventually, I had to put Arthur's pillow aside (I had brought it for comfort), and get ready for the banquet.

My hair was curly and in an elaborate updo, my legs were smooth and moisturized, I was finally putting my lingerie to good use and it helped that the bra was a psuh up. This dress needed all the support I could get.

It was a sexy red number that only Mal would have dared to try to pull off. It was strapless with a bejeweled bodice and had a deep slit at the side going all the way up, stopping about mid-thigh.

I wore some matching red stilettos that were bound to make me cringe fifteen minutes into the banquet. I prayed to god I'd be sitting for most of the night.

I applied my make-up and placed ruby-red chandelier earrings in my ears and one stretch braclet to match on my left wrist. I grabbed my clutch, sprayed on some perfume and I was ready.

~OO~

**Arthur's POV**

I missed my Ari. I never wanted to make her leave. I wanted to hold her close to me and tell her I'd give up everything for her. But I couldnt. She'll thank me when this is all over. We'll get to live our lives in peace away from all these lies.

But, she was gone and I had a job to do.

"Are you still sure about this?" Dom asked, as we got into the car. "She seemed pretty upset."

"She'll come around," I lied smoothly.

I didn't know that for sure. In fact, I didn't know anything at present. Ariadne was painfully right.

"Hmph," was Dom's reply.

I know he wanted to lecture me but I wasn't in the mood. I just wanted to hear this man's offer and then see Ari and tell her I was sorry.

When we arrived, the place was packed but as soon as we gave the receptionist our names, we were lead into a hugely decorated hall, filled with fancy people and bright lights.

We were ushered to a secluded table that still gave a good overview of the room.

"Well it's a good thing we know how to clean up then," Dom joked.

"For once at least," someone chimed in, and we turned to see Eames strutting in with a tall blonde on his arm and a redhead on the other.

"Ladies, I'll be seeing you later," he said to them and they smiled coyly and departed.

Eames, was also accompanied by Yusuf and Leo.

"Hello," I said crossly. Eames wasn't exactly my most favourite person in the world and I had been in a really bad mood since Ari left me.

"What? No better greeting for your favourite Forger?" he asked, playing offended.

"I'm not in the mood, tonight Eames," I said.

"Ah, I see, Ariadne left you. So your back to your grouchy self due to a lack of sex. I understand," he said.

I was about to punch his lights out when I saw her.

"Bloody hell," Eames said, and dropped the flute of champagne he was holding and his mouth fell open.

I could understand why. Ariadne looked stunning.

She was wearing a crimson dress that hugged her every curve and had a long slit right up to her thigh. The dress was cut out at the sides to show her skin and tiny waist. From this vantage point, I could also make out a plunging back. Her silky hair was piled high on her head with a few curls escaping and she was wearing a seductive smile as she talked to a man in a suit.

I was blown away, as was every other man in the room save for Dom and Yusuf, who looked impressed but in an admiring not an I-want-to-fuck-her sort of way.

"Damn," Eames muttered. "You let _her_ get away?"

Eames started to head in Ari's direction, but Dom pulled him back and gave him a look that said 'don't even try'.

I was mesmerized by Ariadne, transfixed by her beauty, when she turned her head ever so slightly and gasped when she saw me.

* * *

><p><strong>Ariadne's POV<strong>

I felt my pulse quicken as I noticed Arthur standing across the room with Dom and the rest of the team.

"What is he doing here?" I asked the lawyer.

"He is a client of Mr. Montessori," he replied softly.

I was about to ask more when the music stopped and everyone turned to the stage.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm happy with the turnout of the banquet and I'm pleased to see a great number of familiar faces. Thank you all for coming out to celebrate this glorious night with me," Liam said.

I felt a sense of uneasiness as Liam continued with his speech.

"As you know, I started this business earlier this year and the results have been amazing. Tonight, I'd like to present my guest of honour, Miss Ariadne Williams. Who is also my architect. Her designs are helping to bring my business to light and I don't know what I'd do without her," he said and welcomed me on stage.

My suspicions were proved correct. Liam Montessori was the business owner. I was pretty sure I had turned a sickly shade of blue.

I wasn't a stage sort of person. But somehow, I plastered on my best fake smile and glided gracefully onstage, all the while feeling everyone's eyes on me. Arthur's boring a hole in the back of my head.

I wanted to turn and run to him.

Everyone clapped as I stood onstage beside Liam. He placed an arm around my waist and smiled as well.

"This means the world to me that you were able to take on my high demands and deliver with twice of what I expected," he said.

"Thank you, Mr. Montessori. This has been a great pleasure of mine and I look forward to the opening of your business and wish you all the best," I heard myself say. My voice didn't sound like my own.

Everyone clapped once more and my gaze scanned the crowd for Arthur. My eyes rested happily on him, but he looked angry. Murderous even.

I shifted slightly away from Liam.

"Isn't she beautiful everyone? Her work may be over, but I might just have to hire her for something else, to keep this goddess around," he joked.

The room was alight with laughter and I gave a nervous one of my own, as I watched Arthur clench his fists and Dom hover near him. Probably just in case he lost it.

Finally, I was allowed to leave the stage and I headed back to my table and took a seat. The slit in my dress showed of my legs whenever I sat, no matter how I tried to fix it, so I just left it alone.

Now, I could see Liam nursing a glass of some amber liquid and his gaze travelling up from my stiletto to rest on my thigh.

* * *

><p><strong>Arthur's POV<strong>

"I'm going to shoot him right between the eyes, if he keeps eye-fucking Ariadne," I growled to Dom.

"He's coming over here. Don't lose your cool. If he realize you're connected to her somehow, things could get sticky," Dom warned.

I always put Ariadne's protection above mine at all costs whenever I signed on to do extractions. Aside from Dom, the rest of the team and her family, no one knew that Ariadne and I were together. We had to keep a low-profile.

I wished I could show her off to the world but I was restricted by my job.

It reminded me vaguely of the Fischer job. After we woke up on the plane, and landed, we were supposed to go our separate ways. We were allowed to keep in touch, discreetly of course but I couldn't do that.

I had kissed Ariadne in my dream. Partly because I needed an effective distraction, partly because I wanted to.

I hadn't intended however for it to become ingrained into my mind. It was just like Dom said. An idea in your head is infectious. It grows and spreads rapidly and there's nothing you can do to replace it.

I tracked her down in Paris after the Fischer job and I daresay she wasn't entirely pleased at first.

_*Flashback*_

_"Arthur! What are you doing here!" Ari shrieked, as she opened her front door._

_"I had to see you," I admitted, sheepishly._

_"Now, is not a good time," she said._

_I was taken aback, when a man emerged from around the corner in only boxers, rubbing the back of his head._

_"Oh, I see," I said. I made sure to hide my confusion and utter disappointment._

_She had felt nothing for me. The kiss meant nothing to her._

_"Can we meet up and talk?" she begged._

_"Sure," I agreed half-heartedly. I was crushed by the thought of Ariadne already being taken._

_We met up an hour later at a tiny French restaurant and she explained her earlier hostility._

_"He's my friend and he was supposed to help me finish an assignment, when he showed up drunk on my doorstep. So I took him in. His apartment is too far away and I was frustrated and upset. I'm not a babysitter, but I couldn't just leave him, you know?" she asked._

_"I understand," I smiled, feeling my heart swell with the fact that he was just a friend._

_"Ariadne, I didn't come back just to visit. I've wanted you since our kiss in my dream," I confessed._

_I was breaking every rule I made for myself for Ariadne and I didn't care._

_"Arthur," she blushed. I loved her voice when she said my name. It was soft and sounded familiar to me._

_I kissed her then and she was taken by surprise but she kissed me back. And that was all I needed. No matter what she said, Ariadne had feelings for me and I intended to make her mine._

_*End flashback*_

I had stayed discreetly in Paris after that, lying low, keeping away from the extraction business. I stayed there until Ariadne graduated from college with Honours. Then, as a graduation gift, I had given her a set of keys, to my New York apartment.

I had asked her to leave Paris and come and live with me and she'd said yes. I thought she'd say no. That it was too much too soon but she was happy with me and she didn't want to us to be apart.

And months later here we were.

I wanted to cover her up from every man's stare but more importantly, I wanted her to know that I loved her and that I was sorry.

But, instead, I headed back over to the table and sat down. I couldn't help but glance over at Ari one more time and she caught me looking at her and smiled uneasily. I smiled back at her to let her know that everything was okay. That I missed her so much.

"I love you," I mouthed to her.

She blushed and smiled before looking away.

I turned my attention back to the table and put on my poker face. This job was important.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Liam Montessori said as he took a seat.

"Good evening," we mumbled in response.

"Now, I have a very important job I need to be done and I was told this was the team for my kind of job. I'm going to keep things simple. I need you to extract a memory from someone. I don't know if that's possible," he said.

"It has never been done, but we believe it may be possible. Dreams sometimes are formulated from memory. Every dream can be linked to something that happened throughout the course of the day, the week or even your entire life. It will be trickier to find out how to find the dream. Whereas with extracting information, we just imagine a vault or a safe and the person's subconscious fills it up. We're looking for something specicfic. Something exact that only the person can give us access to," Dom reasoned.

"Exactly. We have a theory on how we may obtain the memory but that's all there is. A theory. It's risky business but we're willing to try," I said.

"That's enough for me," Liam complied.

"Who's the subject?" Eames asked.

"Ariadne Williams. That sexy brunette over there," he replied.

I clenched my fists beneath the table and it took everything I had not to have a dramatic outburst in the middle of the banquet. Besides, I needed to keep my cool. He couldn't know that I had ties to Ariadne. It was dangerous. Especially considering he was trying to extract a memory.

"What's the memory we're looking for?" Dom asked.

"We went to highschool together and something happened between us. Her father and my father were business partners but after our 'altercation', he backed out and my father lost millions. I'm looking to do business with her father once more, but the only way that can happen is if she gives him the greenlight on me. Extracting this memory will have personal benefits as well," he said with a sly smile.

Even Eames looked disgusted and upset by his claim over Ariadne.

"We need specifics," Yusuf interjected.

"Well, if you must know. Ariadne and I dated briefly during her junior year. She caught me cheating, her father got pissed that I hurt her, and it all went downhill from there for me and for my father's business. I'm trying to rebuild what he sought to create and the only way to do that is to get her father on board," Liam said.

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances at this. It was one thing to invade people's dreams and steal from them, but it was a whole new can of worms to go into someone you were acquainted with's dream to steal a memory. Especially one such as that. Everyone respected and admired Ariadne. No one would even try to invade her mind as long as I was around. The decision to do this was all up to me and Ariadne.

"Can't you just apologize and move on?" I asked Liam.

"If only it were that simple. Our relationship was a little more complicated than that. You'll have to ask your girlfriend about that," he said looking me square in the eye.

"How did you know about me and Ariadne?" I asked, not containing my anger.

"You didn't think I'd just hand you fifty million dollars just like that, Mr. Reyes? I had to go searching. I like to know a bit about my subjects before I become involved. There are a lot of people who'd like to see me fall," he said airily.

"Leave her out of this," I growled. "I'm done!"

"But come now, Arthur! Surely this is what you wanted? Think about it. She'll be rid of an unpleasant memory, I'll have my father's business partner back and you two can skip happily off into the sunset with fifty million dollars," he said. But I could just tell he was lying.

"I can't do that to her," I said, not backing down.

"Don't you think she should be the one to make that decision?" he asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Why would she want to do anything for you once she remembers you've hurt her?" I asked.

"Because I can make life easy for her or I can make things very painful," he threatened me. His easy demeanour was gone and he now had a menacing look.

"Are you threatening me?" I asked incredulously. This man had to be joking. I could have him taken out with a single phone call.

"If that's what you want to call it, then yes Mr. Reyes. I'm threatening you. I can see the gleam in your eyes but I can assure you, I'm a very protected man and any attempts at killing me will fail," he said confidently.

I scanned the room easily and indeed there were numerous men around the place that looked a little too shady despite the suits they wore and the meaningless conversations they carried on.

"And what if she says no?" I asked.

"Oh, she won't. She cares for you deeply Arthur. She would do anything for you. You know, my father used to say, love is man's greatest ally and his deadliest weakness. I find that to be utterly true and I intend to use it to my greatest advantage. So let's try this one more time. I need you to extract a memory from someone. Ariadne Williams. Do you accept?" he asked.

The tension at the table was palpable and everyone held their breath and waited for my answer.

"I accept," I said, resigned to my fate. Ariadne was right. I had entered blindly and now I was risking everything I loved.

* * *

><p>Ariadne's POV<p>

I tried my best not to glance over at Arthur as much as I had wanted to but ever since Liam sat at their table and began to chat them up, I put two and two together.

He was also the person that had hired them for this extraction. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Liam seemed like a nice person but his familiarity did nothing to quell my fears. He just seemed wrong to me, though I couldn't quite put my finger on exactly why.

I pretended to be interested in everything people were telling me, but in fact I was only half listening. I missed Arthur terribly and my sense of unease had not gone away since he had arrived.

I was relieved momentarily however when Liam left the group. I excused myself and headed over to their table.

I was happy to see everyone together again but the look on their faces wasn't what I had pictured. They looked deeply upset.

"Hello, Ariadne. You're looking quite lovely tonight," Eames said. But somehow, his charm was distorted. There was something wrong.

Everyone said hello and complimented me and we exchanged a few more words before they departed and it was just me, Dom and Arthur.

I wanted to kiss him and hug Arthur but this was hardly the time or the place.

"Well, I have to get home to James and Philippa. I'll see you guys around," Dom said quietly before disappearing.

"Arthur, what's wrong?" I asked placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I know I've been a complete idiot and I am so sorry. You were right about everything, Ariadne. I wish I could take everything back. But for now, I just want to be with you and clear my head," he said. It was a different Arthur, I encountered.

He was sad and he wasn't himself.

"I have a room here on the fifth floor. Come with me," I said to him.

I held his hand and lead him away from the disaster that had occurred here tonight.

~OO~

I had released my curls from their pins, freed my feet from the stilettos and my face was my own again.

Arthur was shirtless with his back turned, staring off into space.

I opened my bag and took out my totem, a chess bishop that had once belonged to my grandfather. He had given it to me when I was twelve, a week before he died.

I placed it on the bathroom counter and tipped it over and watched it fall with a tiny knock. I grabbed it up and put it back, relieved that this entire night hadn't been a dream. But it would have been easier if it was.

"Can you unzip me?" I ask Arthur.

He stands and I turn so he can access the back of my dress. His fingers are warm and soft as he brushed my hair away from back and his hand glides down to the zipper.

"Thanks," I say and step out of the dress.

Arthur is still staring at me and I smile.

"Come here," I say to him and I hug him close to me.

"Everything is going to be fine, Arthur. I've realized that I can't be without you. I don't know if that makes me weak and stupid but I found something out today. I don't care. So I will wait. I'll wait for you to come back after this job and I'll bear it with a smile because I love you and it's as simple as that. It will hurt me but there's always some pain with every great joy. And afterwards, when we move to California, and get married and have three kids, it'll be worth it," I say to him.

"Thank you, Ari," Arthur says. "I needed that. When you left, I thought I was pretty much the stupidest man alive. And then I saw you. You were so beautiful that it made me hurt. You gasped when you saw me and you looked like a deer-caught-in-headlights but then you relaxed and you smiled at me and I knew all was forgiven. If you can stand by me even when I'm being such a dick, then you're one-of-a-kind and I refuse to let you go."

I couldn't help but laugh a little and I kissed Arthur. "I'm definitely special. I'm special because I'm lucky. And I'm lucky, because I have you," I told him.

"I'm feeling lucky tonight as well. How about we christen this hotel room?" Arthur asked suggestively.

I shook my head. "You are impossible," I told him.

"Doesn't matter, cause you love me," he said and kissed me.

"You know, I forgot just how gorgeous you look in a suit. I might have to make you dress up more often," I told Arthur.

As we get lost in each other on the soft bed, I remember fleetingly the suit Arthur wore when we shared our first kiss, and I can't help but smile.

* * *

><p><strong>So I'm finally finished! Took me a while! It would have been finished on Saturday but my friend turned up announced and she just left this morning so yeah, I've been busy.<strong>

**Anywhoo, thanks for the reviews guys! Much appreciated! **

**I love hearing feeback so please review!**


	4. Chapter 4 : Just The Ones Named Arthur

Chapter 4 : Just The Ones Named Arthur

**"May the love hidden deep inside your heart find the love waiting in your dreams. May the laughter that you find in your tomorrow wipe away the pain you find in your yesterdays."**

**~Anonymous~**

Ariadne's POV

"Morning sexy," Arthur said.

"Morning," I replied, and sat up. But, it felt as if I had sat up too soon and the room was spinning. I held my head for a little while and Arthur looked at me, worried.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine now," I lied. I reached over to my nightstand and took out my totem. I knocked it and let out an inward sigh of relief when it fell over.

"Sure you're okay?" he asked again, watching me closely.

"I just got up too soon, that's all," I said. I still felt a little dizzy. but the worse had passed.

Arthur kissed my bare shoulder and wrapped his arms around my middle.

"I love you, wife," he said.

I blushed slightly at Arthur's words. Arthur and I weren't married or even engaged but he liked to call me his wife sometimes and honestly, I liked it too. Mrs. Reyes had a nice ring to it.

"I love you too," I smiled.

"Alright, well now that we've cleared some stuff up and you're okay with it. We need to talk about the extraction," Arthur said

"Umm, okay. I guess," I replied. After last night, well, the extraction was the last thing on my mind.

"There's a slight issue so we're thinking of around six months to prepare for this. Maybe less. It depends," he said.

"I'm okay with that," I sighed. "Who's the extractee?"

"This isn't the time or the place," Arthur said, avoiding my question.

"Okay, so when is?" I asked.

"After we go somewhere. It's a surprise," he smiled.

"Where?" I pressed.

"We'll have to take a flight. That's all I'm telling you," he laughed.

"A flight? To where?" I asked persistently, but he wouldn't budge.

Arthur was doubling over with laughter. He knew I hated surprises. The last time I had been surprised, I found out I could possibly be stuck in limbo because of Fischer's stupid defenses and or Cobb's crazy wife projection.

"Alright, when are we leaving?" I asked.

"I asked Dom to take care of the apartment for me. We leave tomorrow for a week. Dom's already in New York with Philippa and James so I guess that'll be his vacation," he said.

"So you guys are all taking a 'vacation' before the extraction?" I asked.

"In some sense of the word, yes." he said.

"Yeah, basically you guys are all living like Cancer patients. Say goodbye and tie up loose ends because between now and six months, you could possibly die," I said sarcastically.

"Something like that. You're the only one I want to spend my week with. I have some very important things to tell you. Things that I can't say now because the timing isn't right. I love you, Ari and this is killing me but it's what I have to do and when it's over it'll be-"

"Just you and me," I finished for him.

"Exactly," he confirmed.

He kissed me softly to wipe away anymore questions I could have asked.

* * *

><p>"Arthur this is creepy," I stated.<p>

Turns out, Arthur had flown us back to France for our 'vacation'. We were staying at this hotel on the beach.

It was our last day in France and somehow, I ended up blindfolded, and he drove me around for about an hour. I had no idea where we were.

"If you've brought me here to murder me then I don't find this funny," I joked. Although I had to admit, I was getting a bit scared.

"Hang in there for just one more second," he said.

I heard a switch being clicked on and numerous lights coming to life.

Arthur untied my blindfold. "Open your eyes Ari," he said.

I opened one eye first, and when I didn't see Arthur standing over me and weilding a knife, I opened the other one.

"You really thought I was going to hurt you?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Probably," I replied.

We were in the warehouse in Paris. Where we first met. Where we spent numerous weeks together working on the Fischer job...

I remembered how he held my hand, the first time I went under and Mal stabbed me. I was upset and scared, though mostly upset, but he stayed calm and he never let my hand go until I left, furious.

My parents always said I had a bad temper. That I got blinded by rage easily. When I was mad, nothing else mattered but the fact that I was angry. I had never noticed until now how Arthur persistently was by my side after I woke up. He hadn't even glimpsed at Cobb once.

"The old warehouse? Is this some kind of reunion?" I asked walking over to the old desk. One of the machines was there and already hooked up.

"I wanted to go under with you," was Arthur's reply.

It had been a very long time since I had shared dreams with anyone.

"Sure. For old times' sake," I said.

"Only five minutes. Which will gives us about an hour in the dream," he calculated.

"Hook me up," I told him, and sat down next to the machine.

~OO~

I found myself sitting in a corporate hotel, eerily similar to the one Arthur dreamed up for the Fischer job. I had helped him design it.

"Seem familiar?" he asked.

"Very," I replied, watching projections pass us.

"I needed to go back. To where it all began for me and you. It seems only fitting. To go back to the past and ask if you want to spend your future with me?"

"Are you asking me what I think you're asking?" I said to Arthur, my pulse racing.

He got up and got down on one knee and I felt my heart melt. I always thought it was a stupid romantic gesture but here I was smiling like a lovesick schoolgirl as he knelt before me and produced a velvet black box.

"I love you more than I've ever loved anyone before. I know I'm saying all the things you expect to hear but I mean every word. I didn't love anyone the way I love you. Not even myself. For a long time, the closest thing I had to a family was Cobb and his kids. I cared deeply for them and then you came along and somehow, you all became the family I never had and now I love you all. What I'm trying to say Ari, is that you showed me that I still had feelings inside me and I don't know how but you awoken them in me. I know for sure that you are the person I would gladly spend the rest of my life with. I see you as my wife every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to sleep. I see you as the mother of my children and I want to grow old with you," Arthur said looking me square in the eyes.

I could feel love radiating from him. It wrapped itself around me and filled me up.

"Ariadne Hannah Williams, will you marry me?" he asked.

"Arthur Daniel Reyes, I was beginning to think you'd never ask," I teased him lightly before tackling him with a kiss.

We both fell to the floor laughing.

"The projections are looking at us as if we're crazy people," I told him.

"Who cares? Let them look," Arthur said and kissed me again.

He held my left hand in the air and slipped the ring onto my finger.

"I love you husband," I told him.

"I love you more, wife," he replied.

I kissed him again and again.

"We can't have sex in a dream Arthur! Beside, the projections are watching. It's kind of creepy," I giggled.

"What do you mean can't? We could have a quick one in the bathroom! We can do anything we want," Arthur smiled and helped me up.

He held my hand firmly and led me away from the lobby and into the elevator. We headed up to the third floor and Arthur opened the first door on the right.

"Since having sex in public isn't your style. I thought you'd prefer a hotel room better," he teased.

I rolled my eyes and pulled him down onto me by his tie.

"God, I love you," was the last thing I heard him say as we made love in his dream.

* * *

><p>I lay next to Arthur feeling satisfied and lazy. It was some of the best sex we ever had. It was one of those, headboard grabbing, bed-shaking, name-calling encounters that left me feeling like a harlot.<p>

Arthur's harlot.

I lifted my hand in the air and studied the ring on my finger. It was beautiful.

Arthur kissed my neck softly.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"I love it," I replied.

"I bet you tell all the guys with engagement rings that," he joked.

"Nope. Just the ones named Arthur," I replied and kissed my fiancé.

* * *

><p><strong>Just a quick update! It's a little shorter than planned and next chapter's going to be a bit more emotional and packed cause Arthur's gonna tell her everything and he's going to start working on the extraction.<strong>

**Hope you liked it! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5 : We'll Never Be Afraid

Chapter 5 : We'll Never Be Afraid

**"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today."**

**~ Anonymous ~**

Ariadne's POV

When Arthur and I returned to New York, I was still on the high of knowing I was engaged to Arthur.

I had begun to worry of late that things had changed slightly between us. That he was beginning to have doubts about me.

I never broached the subject with him much because I didn't want to scare him. I felt young when I compared my twenty-one years to his thirty-five.

Before I came along, Arthur had this aversion to committment.

His family died in a fire when he was eighteen. It happened while everyone was asleep. His mother, his father, his older brother Peter and his little sister Laurel, whom they had nicknamed Lulu. Laurel's death was one of the worst because she was only six when she died. She also had cancer but she was a fighter, he had said.

Arthur wasn't home when it happened. He was with his friends and he had gone over curfew. He beat himself up over it because a firefighter and the police had confirmed that if he had been home in time for his curfew, the fire could have been prevented or stopped.

After the fire, Arthur went to college and got his medical degree. His specialty was cancer, for Lulu, but it became too much for him to bear seeing all those sick children so he went back to college and got his degree in pyschology, where he met Dom.

* * *

><p>"Look guys, it's your aunt Ari and uncle Arthur," Dom said to his kids as soon as we got inside.<p>

James and Philippa ran from the living room and tackled us.

"I missed you guys," I told them.

Arthur smiled. "Me too."

"Daddy look! Aunt Ari has a new pretty ring!" Philippa cried and grabbed my left hand to show Dom.

Dom laughed and mouthed "Congrats" to me and Arthur.

"Daddy, can I have a giant ring too?" she asked.

"Sure, one day when you're fifty I'll let a boy give you one twice as big," Dom joked.

Philippa looked confused but went off to go play with James.

"I was beginning to worry," Dom teased.

"So was I," I agreed looking over at Arthur.

He just grinned in response.

"I'll unpack and you can get cooking. I'm starving," I said to Arthur.

"You had three meals on the flight, four bottles of water and two bathroom breaks. What you're doing with all that food is mind-boggling," Arthur said, clearly surprised.

I glared at him and shooed him into the kitchen.

When Arthur was out of earshot, Dom sat beside me.

"How was the trip?" he asked.

"It was great. I went under with Arthur and he proprosed to me in his dreams. It was kind of romantic in an Arthur sort of way, if you know what I mean," I said.

"Typical Arthur. But I'm really happy for you guys. Has he mentioned anything else?" he asked.

"Not really. We touched on the extraction but not much more information. I'm just rolling with the punches. See how it goes. Speaking of punches, I had been feeling pretty sick since we got back. After I devoured all that airplane food, I threw up when we landed. There was a doctor at the airport and he told me I had mild food poisoning, he said I should eat lightly, get plenty of rest and lots of water. I've actually been feeling a lot better," I told Dom.

"Well I'm glad you're okay," he said.

I chatted with Dom about my trip for a little while longer before bringing the suitcases to our room.

When I showered, changed and went downstairs, I headed to the kitchen.

Arthur was finished cooking and he was sharing the food out. I wretched.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"The eggs," I whispered. "They smell horrible! It's so raw!"

I wretched again and covered my nose with my fingers.

"I'm sorry, I forgot how much you hated eggs, but you've always seemed fine with the smell. Maybe it's just the food poisoning," Arthur said and brought me back to our room.

"You should rest," he demanded gently.

"No. I'm fine. The doctor said I should keep my strength up, eat boring foods and drink plenty of water. You don't have to worry," I said.

Arthur kissed my forehead.

"I'm in charge when you're sick, Ari. Lie down," he said.

I sighed and complied.

He turned the air-conditioning on, not too high since room temperature was important while I was sick, and covered me with a comforter.

"Get some sleep," he told me and kissed my knuckle.

"I can't sleep," I told him. I had taken a nap before we went to the airport and I had been asleep when we had gone under.

"I'll tell you a story then," Arthur said.

"Well this should be good," I said sitting up.

"Alright. Well, once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl. They cared for each other very much and they never spent a day apart. But one day the girl went away and the boy was very sad. He waited for her every single day but she never came back. Until one day, he went searching for her and he found her dying. The boy cried and asked her what she wanted before she died. He'd give her anything. But, all she asked for was one more kiss. The boy kissed her gently and asked her why she wanted a kiss and she told him: 'Because I want the last thing that I feel before I die is love, not pain.' and then she died in his arms," Arthur narrated.

"If extracting doesn't work out, you have something to fall back on," I teased him lightly. "But seriously. that was pretty deep. Where'd you get the story from?"

"I had a dream about something like that when I first met you," he replied shortly.

"It's just a dream, Arthur. I'm here to stay. For a very long time and I promise I won't leave you. And I know you won't leave me," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

* * *

><p>When I woke up, it was morning and I felt horrible. My arms and limbs felt weak and they hurt.<p>

My mouth was dry and felt cottony and I had no sense of time or where I was. It was like waking up from a very long dream. But I didn't recall having a dream. It was just one of those fitful sleeps where I just slept on and on without dreaming.

"Arthur," I croaked.

Everything was quiet as the room slowly focused around me.

"Arthur. Help," I said clutching my throat. I felt as if I couldn't move.

I struggled to turn on my side. The bed was empty and the door was closed, which meant it was locked as well. The airconditioning was still going and I felt deadly cold. It wasn't a normal cold. It was the cold and ache I felt whenever I had a fever.

I lay there with my eyes wide open, and a tear slipped out of my left eye. I hadn't thought it would end like this. Me, dying in my own bed. Without Arthur by my side.

I stared out the window, and watched the November rain fell on the window pane. My eyes became glassy and I no longer felt the need to blink. It was as if I was watching life pass me by. Feeling _my_ life seep put of me.

A few more seconds passed, maybe minutes, I was no longer sure, when the door opened.

Arthur dropped the glass of water he was holding and I vaguely remember hearing the glass shatter, when my eyes closed once more.

But it's not dark behind my eyelids as I expect. It's bright and everything is shining. Everything is white and clear. Everything is empty.

* * *

><p><strong>Just a quick update guys. Chapter never turned out as I had planned. But I promise the next one will be longer and more detailed.<strong>

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6 : You Take Away Everything

Chapter 6 : You Take Away Everything

Arthur's POV

I watch helplessly as Ariadne lays lifelessly on the hospital bed.

She is hooked up to too many machines and the silence and calm surrounding her is deafening, It's driving me mad. Her skin is pale, almost translucent and her eyes are heavy and sunken. Her hair is limp across the pillow.

I kiss her lips gently and she doesn't respond.

Her lips are cold and blue. She looks empty. Like a hollow shell.

"Ari," I whisper to her.

Her eyes flicker in my direction and she tries her best to smile for me.

"It's okay," I assure her.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Reyes. But it's time for you to leave. We'll take care of her," the doctor promised me solemnly.

"I can't leave her here. I have to be here when she's better. If I leave her here, she might be gone when I get back," I tell him.

"She'll be fine. We're doing everything we can," he said.

"It's not enough," I say, raising my voice.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the doctor repeated, sterner this time.

Ariadne looks at me, panic clear in her eyes.

"I'll be back as soon as I can Ari," I promise her gently. I kissed her forehead and she looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Arthur," she squeaked. "Stay," she pleads.

"I want to, but I can't," I tell her.

She sighs and closes her eyes. Shutting me out. Telling me silently that I am no longer needed here. That she'll do this alone. Because my Ari is strong. Headstrong.

"I love you," I tell her with a small smile. "You'll be okay, and I'll be right here the moment I can be."

She opened her eyes and she smiled at me with her beautiful brown eyes.

* * *

><p>Ariadne's POV<p>

When I wake up once more, I'm in a hospital with scattered memories.

I can't seem to remember much about the past few days but I feel a hell of a lot better than when I woke up in my bed.

"Where's Arthur?" I asked the doctor.

"He's outside, waiting or maybe_ dying_ to see you," the doctor said, trying to make a joke.

I gave him a skeptical look.

He cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, you seem to be a lot better than when you arrived. We've actually found some surprising news that relate to your unfortunate illness," he said.

"Does Arthur know?" I asked.

"No, Mr. Reyes is unaware. As he is not your husband, any news which I disclose to you is solely your business and I cannot inform him unless you allow me to," he said.

"Good," I sighed.

I didn't want Arthur worrying if it was something serious.

"I had a few suspicions so I ran some tests while you were under anaesthesia. And you -"

* * *

><p>Arthur's POV<p>

I was growing impatient as the doctor talked to Ariadne. I wanted to be with her. She was finally awake and I wanted to make sure she was okay.

I watched them through the glass window of the door.

Ariadne looked shocked and she started crying hysterically. I had never seen her cry that way before. She looked crushed and hurt.

I rose from my chair and went straight into the room and they both immediately stopped and turned.

"What's going on?" I demanded, angrily.

The doctor gave me a grave look.

"I think Ariadne has the right to tell you about her condition. If she doesn't want to then it's her decision," he said with a shrug.

He left the room then and I turned to Ariadne.

"Ari, what's he talking about? Why are you crying?" I asked her.

"I'm not ready to tell you Arthur," she whispered.

It was the first time I had ever seen her truly afraid. She was always strong and leverl-headed. The brave one.

"You can tell me anything. I won't judge you and I'll be right here helping you through it. Damnit Ari, I want to help you," I told her.

"I'm okay Arthur," she said softly.

I knelt beside her bed and watched as she smiled weakly. But her smile didn't reach her eyes.

She touched my hair lightly, running her pale, smooth fingers through them.

"You're not okay. Don't lie to spare me. I saw you crying," I said.

"I know, Arthur. But, I'm fine now. I promise," she said encouragingly.

"Why are you lying to me? Is it something bad? Do you have -"

_Cancer_. I wanted to ask but I was too afraid to hear the answer.

"Arthur, I'm fine. You don't have to worry. I'm just _a little_ sick. I didn't think this could happen to me. But I have to make the best of it and live my life as normally as possible," she said.

She was so tired. He could hear it in her voice. It shaked when she talked. As if her words were too heavy on her tongue.

"Let me help you," I pleaded with her.

But she just smiled.

* * *

><p>Ariadne's POV<p>

To say Arthur was distant was an understatement.

He still visited me everyday and he talked to me. He didn't bring up the day I was crying anymore, and it made me relieved and deeply sad. I wanted to tell him, I really did, but I was afraid.

I loved him and he couldn't hear it just now. He was always speaking about the right moment and I knew this just wasn't it. He was just going to have to trust me.

"I've been meaning to tell you something," Arthur said to me one day, as he held my hand and sat next to me.

"Mmm, what's that?" I asked.

I was feeling much better today despite how hideous I looked. My hair was a ratty tangle in a messy bun and I had dark puprle circles under my eyes.

"We've made some pretty good progress in the extraction project," he started.

"Continue," I urged softly.

"So, I think it was time I told you who I was doing the extracting on," he said. "You."

He looked at me expectantly but my face remained passive.

"Okay," I said.

"Aren't you upset or anything?" he asked.

"Not exactly. I kind of figured out the truth when you refused to tell me. I mean come on, Liam takes an interest to me, he hires you to do an extraction and you're suddenly keeping secrets? It didn't take a genius to figure that one out. I'm just sorry you hadn't told me sooner," I told him, revelling in his shocked expression.

It actually made me laugh.

"So all this time, you've known? And you didn't say anything?"

"Pretty much," I confirmed.

Arthur cracked a smile. The first real one I had seen in days.

"We might be able to start the extraction in December. Hopefully, you'll be out of this hospital by then," he said softly, kissing my forehead.

"Maybe," I said.

He looked at me funny. He knew there was something I knew that he didn't.

"Just promise me that if I'm still stuck here. You'll still do the extraction. I want you to be safe, Arthur. I want us to be safe. And move past this. Together. California seems closer and closer to me in my dreams," I told him.

Arthur looked away.

"Liam visited me yesterday. He answered some of my questions about the extraction. He's quite forceful and pushy sometimes. I remember him now. We dated in highschool. Briefly. He's still the same," I said.

Arthur's attention was turned back to me so I continued.

"We went out my sophomore year, I think. I was so happy. He was one of the popular kids and he was a junior. I was a little less conservative than I am now. Short skirts and tank tops were my thing. He told me I was hot, we went out a couple times and got together. But, he thought because I dressed like a slut, I was easy. When I wouldn't give up the goods, things got rocky. I went over to his house one afternoon and found him practically dry-humping one of my friends. She and I weren't close or anything. But, I was crushed," I said.

"It was one of those relationships where you thought you struck out lucky. Everyone thought we were cute together. We told each other everything. He bought me nice stuff and we hung out together all the time. It was perfect besides the fights we'd had over sex. When I broke up with him on the spot, he tried pleading with me to forgive him but I was heartbroken. Then, he completely flipped out and called me a fucking nun who was too uptight and told me that I was ugly anyway and that I should cover myself up because my body was disgusting," I finished.

"He's a fucking cunt," Arthur swore. "You are the most beautiful woman alive."

"I know that now I'm with you. But back then, To hear a boy say that, was really hurtful. I feel ashamed whenever I remember that day. I changed after that and everyone teased me relentlessly for a week. I retreated into myself until they left me alone and life was somewhat normal. My dad was pissed and broke off all ties with his family and his father as a business partner. They lost millions and his bark was significantly weaker after that.

I had forgotten about him. He was something I wanted to forget. I wanted to escape him and my stupid high school reputation so I enrolled in university in France and a few months before I graduated, Dom found me and _we_ found each other," I smiled at Arthur.

Arthur smiled in response.

"Don't worry, you'll be out of here by December," he promised, bringing up our earlier conversation.

"Arthur, I can't promise I'll be out until _January_," I told him, sadly.

"Why won't you tell me what's wrong Ari? You're sick every morning and night when I see you. You're pale and weak and you can hardly move. You look worse than I've ever seen you. You're afraid to tell me but I already know. I was there. I was there when it happened to Lulu. I know you're sick but I have to hear it from you," he said.

I stayed silent not sure of what to say. There were only so many times I could tell Arthur the same thing. He seemed to recgnise this as well.

I watched as all the progress we had made today slowly dissipate. And for the first time ever, Arthur stood and left me there. With no kiss and no goodbye.

I looked over, weakly at the clock hanging on the wall. There was still a lot of time left before he had to go. But there he was, walking out the door.

I should have called him back. Made up something that would make him stay but I was so tired and he had left me weaker by leaving me here in this empty hospital room.

He had taken everything from me just by leaving me alone.

And that's how I found my voice.

"Arthur, don't leave me," I whispered. But by that time, he was already down the corridor, his back turned away from me and the lies I was slowly building within.

* * *

><p><strong>Damn, i'm sorry it took forever to update. I have been mega-busy with school. Trying to graduate early and balance stuff. I'm so freaking tired and I won't even be home for most of the weekend :(<strong>


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